About Scott A
Scott A Ritsema earned a Bachelor of Arts at the University of California, Los Angeles in 1984 and went on to receive his J.D. from the University of California, Davis in 1988. He trained in a traditional California law school environment during a period of significant changes in tort law and insurance regulation. Those formative years shaped an interest in trial practice and civil advocacy.
He began practicing law in the early 1990s. In 1992 he worked at Ford Walker Haggerty & Behar, where he handled civil matters and gained courtroom experience. That early phase of his career involved client counseling, discovery work and courtroom appearances that built a foundation for trial work. Over time he moved toward litigation-heavy roles and took on increasingly complex personal injury matters.
In 2008 Ritsema joined Bisnar Chase and serves there as a partner and trial lawyer. His title reflects a shift from junior litigation roles to leading case development and courtroom strategy. At Bisnar Chase he has responsibility for preparing cases for trial, conducting depositions, and representing plaintiffs in jury proceedings. Colleagues describe his courtroom style as direct and focused; he tends to concentrate on fact development and persuasive presentation.
Ritsema is licensed to practice in California and maintains memberships in several professional groups. He is a current member of Consumer Lawyers of California and a member of the Orange County Trial Lawyers Association American. These memberships place him in regular contact with other plaintiffs’ lawyers and keep him engaged with continuing legal education and peer forums.
His practice covers the typical array of civil trial matters that arise in a plaintiff-focused personal injury firm. That includes motor vehicle collisions, premises liability, and serious bodily injury claims where litigation is likely. He handles both pretrial negotiation and contested trials, and he has experience managing evidence gathering and expert witness preparation.
Clients and peers know Ritsema as a lawyer who spends time developing the factual record and testing legal theories in court. He prefers to let the facts drive legal strategy and prepares cases to be litigated if necessary. He works out of Bisnar Chase Personal Injury Lawyers, LLP and splits time among the firm’s offices.
He currently practices at Bisnar Chase Personal Injury Lawyers, LLP. His practice centers on personal injury litigation.
